People participate in the Pink Run event, held to raise awareness of breast cancer, in the capital on October 22. PHOTO SUPPLIED
The Phnom Penh AIA Pink Run, which took place on the morning of October 22, saw a record number of runners taking part.
The event was organised at short notice by the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) and the Phnom Penh International Half Marathon committee – in association with AIA Life Insurance Plc – to celebrate the Kingdom’s successful hosting and record breaking haul at the 2023 SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games, as well as to raise awareness of breast cancer.
The race, which began at Wat Botum Park and took runners along Norodom Boulevard, around the iconic Wat Phnom and over the Japanese Friendship Bridge, offered three distances: 10km, 5km and a 2.5km family run.
A total of 3,610 people took part in the three lengths of run, with a broad mix of men and women and a wide range of ages.
Senior Minister and NOCC head Thong Khon noted that the event was not just about celebrating the success of the SEA and Para games – held under the theme “Sports: Live in Peace” – but also to increase public awareness of breast cancer.
“We aimed to increase attention and understanding of breast cancer among women. The AIA called in specialists who offered free breast examinations for three days, from October 20-22.
“We all ran in this clean, green event for pleasure and for charity, but we also ran for the sake of health, solidarity and friendship. This morning saw 3,610 athletes taking part: 3,350 Cambodians and 251 foreigners,” he said.
Sem Phalla, general manager of the Phnom Penh International Half Marathon committee, said the number of runners was the highest the event has ever seen.
“The number of entrants was unprecedented. At the marathons and other events we have organised and promoted in the last three months, we have never welcomed more than 3,000 runners – we saw 1,000 or 2,000 at most. We announced the AIA Pink Run less than a month ago, but the number of runners was far higher than expected,” he said.
He explained that his working group had prepared materials – such as medals, race numbers and t-shirts – for just 3,000 entrants, but the number of registrants had surpassed this figure.
The committee was forced to stop accepting applications a full week before the event, as most of the race materials needed to be ordered from abroad, and air freight remains prohibitively expensive.
“If we had enough materials and continued to register runners until the date of the event, I would estimate we would have seen around 5,000 entrants. This is unusual, but a huge source of pride for the organising committee,” said Phalla.
“It is an excellent sign for future events, and shows how more and more people are embracing the sporting movement, particularly in Phnom Penh,” he added.
Phalla explained that the goal of the NOCC and marathon committee is to organise more and more sporting events across the country. He believed that the success of the SEA and Para games served as important drivers, and encouraged more and more Cambodians to take part in sports for the sake of their health.
